


Patrilineal

by markwatnae (bertie)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Meeting the Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-06-05 03:39:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6687736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bertie/pseuds/markwatnae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>General Jinn is dispatched to join the 212th Attack Battalion and Cody watches General Kenobi interact with his former master, the man who skirted death at the hands of a Sith. He cannot seem to find a suitable definition for their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Patrilineal

Cody knows there is _something_ between his generals, but he cannot manage to describe it _._ The 212 th is the only battalion with two commanding generals. He is definitely not complaining—he has heard rumors about General Krell—but it strikes him as odd. However, General Jinn’s physical limitations could warrant the necessity of a second general considering he rarely joins them on ground assaults. He is fairly adept at flying, but Cody has heard both he and General Kenobi curse the activity.

General Kenobi. He was Jinn’s Padawan almost fifteen years ago, and sometimes still tags along after him like he is not a fully-fledged Jedi Master himself. When Jinn was first set to arrive, Kenobi had been tense and chaotic. The rest of the men were confused, but did not ask questions because they had long ago learned that the Jedi were unpredictable and often gave no answers. Cody had been there when Kenobi met Jinn in the hangar and rushed to his side as he climbed from his fighter—only to be smacked away and threatened with a long wooden cane. He still swears he saw tears welling up in Kenobi’s eyes, but then he was hugging Jinn tight around the chest and Cody could no longer see his face.

Some of the men gossip that they are lovers, and that only further aids the rumor that the Master and Padawan relationship is not as pure as the Jedi want them to believe. Kenobi catches wind of the last piece of information and strikes it down immediately. They get a tense lecture about respecting other cultures and not making up information about things they do not understand. Cody promises him it will not happen again.

Cody does not dismiss the idea of them being lovers completely, but it seems unlikely. He has not seen anything remotely close to physical affection between them since Jinn arrived, but they are Jedi. It would look unprofessional to display that in front of the troops, and Jedi are incredible at hiding. The way they interact leads Cody to believe the relationship is less sexual than some of the men have implied.

The first time they are called on the carpet by Jinn is a learning experience for them all. Kenobi had been injured badly in their latest ground assault and it is obvious to them all now that Jinn is nothing if not protective of him. They are already worried for their general but, by the time Jinn is done with them, also thoroughly chastened by the mistakes they made that caused the injuries in the first place.

Cody is on his way to check on General Kenobi when he hears voices inside the medbay and hesitates just outside the door. If he lingers too long, the Jedi will certainly know he is there. He decides to come back later and spins neatly on his heel. Hearing what General Jinn has to say to Kenobi in a moment of privacy is obviously enticing, but he will not make his commanding officers uncomfortable if they are trying to hide something more.

Jinn is no longer in the medbay when Cody returns, and Kenobi is laid up in one of the beds, looking paler and smaller than he should. His injuries mostly consist of blaster bolt grazes and a concussion, but the doozy—the one that had Jinn verbally flaying them open yesterday—is the blaster bolt to the abdomen. They have no Jedi healers on board with them and bacta is in limited supply, but Kenobi is in no danger of dying. Cody has heard mentions of healing trances and meditation accelerating the healing process so he is not too concerned. It is simply a matter of time.

“Cody.” Kenobi smiles at him, soft and tired.

It takes all of his will power not to follow through with the list of things he wants to do in this moment. Instead he swallows and gives Kenobi a smile of his own.

“General,” he replies, dipping his head in salute.

Kenobi makes a face laden with disgust. “I hate being called that. Try again.”

Cody laughs despite himself. “Master Jedi?”

“Ugh, that’s worse. Just Obi-Wan will do fine when we’re off duty. Leave ‘general’ for the bridge,” Kenobi says, and Cody nods.

“Whatever you say, Obi-Wan.” It feels wrong to use his first name. He has earned more respect than that. “How are you feeling?”

A quiet snort and then a lazy grin. “Well, considering I can’t feel anything, I’ll say I’m feeling great.”

Cody laughs. He has never seen his general on pain medication before and he will admit that he is enjoying himself. He can almost convince himself Obi-Wan is smiling like that because of his presence alone.

“I heard what Qui-Gon did to you, and I apologize. He gets a little,” he waves a hand aimlessly, “overzealous sometimes. He feels bad for scaring the rookies.”

Cody smirks. “They were pretty terrified after that, but we handled it. We deserved what we got though. Our mistakes almost cost us you.”

He hopes Obi-Wan does not notice how his throat tightens around the last word. He banishes the thought of losing him before it can take root in his mind. Obi-Wan is frowning at him.

“I’ve survived worse than this, Cody. Yes, we made some mistakes and we need to work on that, but there’s no reason to grovel over what cannot be changed. I will heal and we will go back into battle.”

Cody wishes he could keep Obi-Wan far away from battle. He suspects General Jinn feels the same.

“You should go enjoy yourself,” Obi-Wan says softly. He sounds tired and uncomfortable. “It’s been a while since we had leave.”

Cody knows a dismissal when he hears one. “I will do that, sir—Obi-Wan.”

That gets a smile out of him. “Good man.”

Obi-Wan heals fairly rapidly—quicker than Cody is comfortable with. His suspicions are confirmed when Obi-Wan stops talking suddenly while they are planning out their next campaign in the command center. His face drains of color and his hand goes to his belly. Cody is behind him before he can collapse and he gathers him gently into his arms.

“Someone comm General Jinn and let him know I’m taking Kenobi to the medbay,” he orders sharply as he strides out of the room.

He meets Jinn in the hall as he is entering the medbay and he looks a mixture of terrified and determined. He moves surprisingly quick for a man with a cane and exoskeleton braces on his legs, but Cody has learned never to underestimate him again. He practically wiped the floor with Obi-Wan during a friendly sparring session the clones had been privy to observe.

Their medics Seventeen and Mudder move with swift efficiency once Cody has laid Obi-Wan on the bed. He steps away and watches, a step or two away on Jinn’s right side. He can see the tense set of his shoulders and how he works his jaw repeatedly. His hair is more silver than brown and pulled back away from his face with a leather tie. Cody wonders if Obi-Wan ever helped him with it as his Padawan.

Obi-Wan’s wound has reopened and is now bleeding steadily. Seventeen keeps pressure on it while Mudder sets up intravenous lines of antibiotic and pain medication. Jinn moves forward and rests his hand on Obi-Wan’s forehead. The harsh lines in Obi-Wan’s face ease and he breathes slowly. Jinn does not step back immediately. He lingers beside the bed and brushes his thumb across Obi-Wan’s skin, watching him for a long moment. Cody averts his gaze, focusing on his medics instead.

They get Obi-Wan stabilized shortly before he wakes up. Jinn stands from the chair Seventeen dragged up beside the bed for one of them and leans over the bed railing.

 _He’s going to be angry they put those up,_ Cody thinks, rubbing his jaw on the pretense of smiling behind his hand.

Sure enough, Obi-Wan scowls darkly at the railing before he slides his eyes up to Jinn’s face.

“I should be furious with you,” Jinn says darkly, but then Cody sees his features soften into something fond and worried. “I told you that you weren’t ready. Why won’t you ever listen to me?”

Obi-Wan looks slightly ashamed. “We were needed.”

“No, we were not. If we were, I could have given orders just as easily as you.”

Jinn sighs heavily as if this is a conversation he has had a thousand times. Having dealt with Obi-Wan himself, Cody does not doubt it.

“I can’t lose you,” Jinn murmurs, so softly Cody almost does not hear him. “Not after all we’ve been through.”

“I’m sorry.” Obi-Wan sounds exhausted.

“It’s all right. Just let us take care of you,” Jinn says, and Cody sees Obi-Wan look up at him.

He has seen that look before between a father and a son. There is no doubt in his mind now the nature of their relationship.

“And I’m sure your commanding officer would appreciate you no longer bleeding all over his nice white armor,” Jinn teases, standing up straight and smiling in his direction.

Cody feels like he has been asked to join a private moment. He goes to the other side of Obi-Wan’s bed and is shocked when his pale, shaking hand reaches for him. His momentary hesitation has Obi-Wan drawing away, but Cody yanks off his gauntlet and gently takes his hand. Obi-Wan smiles faintly up at him, his chest rising and falling slower as he fights to stay awake.

“You can sleep,” Cody says softly. “We’ve got you.”

Obi-Wan closes his eyes but then opens them again to look Jinn in the eye.

“Be nice to him,” he mumbles drowsily.

Jinn laughs deeply and smoothes Obi-Wan’s hair. “You have my word.”

A gentle brush of fingers along Obi-Wan’s cheek and he is asleep. Jinn watches him for a moment before turning his attention to Cody, who feels icy fear grip his heart despite the man’s promise. But Jinn’s eyes are warm and he smiles gently.

“Thank you,” he says, keeping his voice low.

Cody is surprised, but he tries to recover quickly. “Sir—”

“Just Qui-Gon, unless we’re working. Obi-Wan has been asking me for advice on what to do about forming an attachment to his commanding officer.” Jinn pauses, but not long enough for Cody to respond. “I told him that love is a selfless thing and not the same as an attachment, and he is not capable of attachment. He is very much capable of love; he is full of it. You will be good for him.”

It feels like a blessing and Cody lets himself smile. Qui-Gon rests his hand on Obi-Wan’s arm.

“He gave me permission to explain to you our unique situation,” Qui-Gon says, and grabs Cody’s full attention.

“Unique situation?” He asks.

Qui-Gon nods. “When Obi-Wan and I chose each other as Master and Padawan, our training bond was the strongest ever recorded in the Jedi Order. It had begun to connect us before we even knew each other’s names. Sometimes the Force will tie two individuals together for a reason, and it seemed that it had chosen us. Training bonds are not cut after a Padawan becomes a Knight, they are simply left to fade naturally or remain as they are. The Council was very curious as to what our bond would decide since it had remained so strong. After Obi-Wan was Knighted, our bond never faded, but seemed to grow stronger.”

Cody is riveted by the story. He has always harbored a secret appreciation and admiration for the Jedi, Obi-Wan especially. His mere presence seems to draw Cody near and he often finds himself unconsciously shifting closer to his general than is considered professional. He nods to encourage Qui-Gon to continue.

“A training bond is the lowest level of the bonds a Jedi can have. It allows sensation and emotion to pass between the master and Padawan. Occasionally thoughts can be exchanged, but usually only from Master to Padawan or equally once the Padawan has achieved more skill in the practice. Obi-Wan and I were able to exchange thoughts almost immediately. The Council as well as the mind healers were all very intrigued by our bond and we allowed them to examine it since we had apparently set a precedent.

“Once Obi-Wan was Knighted, the bond grew stronger until we were capable of hearing the other’s thoughts across an entire planet. We were both concerned that the other was unhappy with the progression, but then I caught a snatch of Obi-Wan’s thoughts one day. He was talking with one of his friends about how relieved he was to keep the bond with me and not have to face Knighthood alone. I spoke with him after that and we came to the agreement that we were both very pleased with the strengthening of the bond. What we have now is called a pair bond. It is a step above a training bond, but not quite at the level of a life bond.”

Cody looks down at Obi-Wan, listening to the monitor on the wall chirping softly with his heartbeat. He feels his chest fill with warmth and protective affection. He looks up to see Qui-Gon watching him.

“Obi-Wan is forever connected to me, and he hopes that it will not bother you. He is very fond of you, Cody, and admires you greatly.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not bothered. I will admit I was unsure of your presence at first, but you are a good leader and, if Obi-Wan trusts you, then I do too.”

Qui-Gon smiles at him and Cody finds himself relaxing.

“Besides,” he says, “it will take both of us to keep him from doing something this stupid again.”

That gets a laugh out of the older man. Cody is proud of himself.

“Are you hungry? We can get dinner in the mess and talk more, if you’d like?” Qui-Gon offers, and Cody accepts eagerly.

He feels comfortable leaving Obi-Wan with Seventeen and Mudder. They are just as fiercely protective of their general as the rest of the men and will watch over him carefully. He squeezes Obi-Wan’s fingers lightly before he releases his hand and tucks his arm under the blankets. Qui-Gon smoothes his hair again and brushes his knuckles along his cheek. Obi-Wan sighs contentedly in his sleep.

Everyone stares when they enter the mess together, but Qui-Gon is unbothered and keeps walking. Cody jogs to catch up and then falls into steps beside him again. He is thrilled at the chance to become closer to Qui-Gon, and learn more about Obi-Wan as a man instead of a general.

**Author's Note:**

> Qui-Gon's exoskeleton braces are directly inspired by hollyoakhill's drawing [here](http://hollyoakhill.tumblr.com/post/143399921424/guess-whos-back-by-eminem-starts-playing-in-the)


End file.
